Always Friends
by X-Deyoxis-X
Summary: One/Two-shots and drabbles about the Titans' friendship. Will be about pretty much anything that reflects their friendship, of course. No romance, though I will follow the show so Robin and Starfire will be a couple for some of the stories. Probably cheesy but funny. Gone back and edited, getting back to updating.
1. Always Friends

No pairings except Robin and Starfire, as I've said. These aren't meant to be romances. However, it can revolve around any Titans I want it to so don't be surprised if Robin and Raven get alone chapters (though I promise no romance, merely friendship) since they're the couple I tend to prefer.

Everything will remain friendship so do not bother me with asking for romance. However, I am open to suggestions of one-shots that can be about any Titans. A challenge for me will be writing Raven and Beast Boy related ones so I'll certainly give those two a shot at one point or another.

This is my first real attempt at writing Teen Titans, so I hope I can stick to their characters. I'll be giving a bit of information before each chapter that I feel might be needed for better understanding or something.

One other thing you'll need to know. I pretend that Trouble in Tokyo happened sometime between Season Four and Season Five... I'm not sure why, that's just how it has always been in my mind, so I'm going to stick with it so my stories don't change up.

**Always Friends**

**Date: **A couple days/weeks (doesn't truly matter) after the defeat of The Brotherhood of Evil.  
><strong>Time of Day:<strong> Evening, near sunset.  
><strong>Involving:<strong> All five of the main Titans.  
><strong>Type of Chapter:<strong> Probably a cheesy one.  
><strong>Other Info:<strong> I recently just replayed my Kingdom Hearts video games so I'm on a whole 'friendship of the heart' spur right now, which is where the idea for this chapter comes from. Expect the moment to be a bit OOCish with most of the Titans.

No video game noises.

And no, the power wasn't off in the tower. Instead, the boys had merely just ceased their game for the moment, getting hungry and anxious as there hadn't been a fight in some time since the defeat of the Brotherhood and the strange creature that could change its composition. The fight with the Brotherhood had taken down a vast majority of their enemies in one blow, excluding the ones who had either not been invited to join the Brotherhood or were too stupid to know it had even been created. Take Dr. Light for example. Now that man was in jail, though, and unlikely would he be escaping any time soon. Plus, he just wasn't much of a threat in the long run.

"It is quiet in here," Starfire duly noted, shifting around on the coach where she had been sitting with Robin, talking before they ran out of things to say. Her statement hung in the air with no response to it.

Cyborg was flitting - if a giant half robot man can indeed flit himself about - around in the kitchen, gathering himself a collection of edible foods that had not been taken over by the blue fuzz that never seemed to go away in the fridge. He planned on making a good meal tonight but, like always, Beast Boy had a different idea of what a good meal was.

One box of tofu had made it on to the counter by the time Cyborg completely eradicated the silence that had ensued Starfire's comment.

"Man, how many times are we going to have this argument before you realize that I ain't eating no stinking tofu!"

"Then you don't have to eat any! More for the rest of us," Beast Boy declared, grinning like he had just triumphed.

"Count me out," Raven muttered from where she was reading a book from behind the couch, sitting on the ground and leaning on the sofa quite contently.

"I second that," Robin called while Starfire only shifted again, unwilling to disappoint Beast Boy for the gazillionth time that no one else wanted to eat his tofu.

Beast Boy crossed his arms irritably, muttering something incoherently as he claimed his one box of tofu to get it ready for dinner, now certain only he had to worry about eating it. He marched past Cyborg, who was now the one grinning with success.

Starfire stood up and moved around the couch, standing where she could see Raven sitting, Cyborg and Beast Boy milling in the kitchen, and Robin watching her out of the corner of her eye. She smiled at the peaceful routine, the people who had become her family. She realized in that moment just how desperately she didn't want this family to end. Though Robin and the others had assured her many times since her trip to the future that they would be friends forever, that the future would not end up like the experience she had had thanks to Warp, it was still an unsettling fear in the back of her mind. After all, could the Titans really be together... for always?

"Starfire...?" Robin said uncertainly. He felt like he was interrupting some sort of quiet zen she was having. He had had some of those before, where all he needed was to think, to take things in. He didn't like to be disturbed then, he didn't want to intrude in on Starfire like that.

The alien glanced at him, smiled, then moved toward the window where the sunlight was glowing along the horizon. The sea waves sparkled with glittering light and the windows of the buildings of the city shone with their own little yellow suns, reflections of a much bigger and brighter one. In a way it was blinding. It was also hypnotizing. Beautiful, even. No wonder sunsets were also associated with big love scenes in those chick flicks Starfire liked (other than documentaries, of coarse).

At this point, Raven had noticed the odd behavior coming from Starfire, as well. She stood up, casting a glance over at the only other female Titan in the room and moved to a counter so she could place her book down. She shared an uneasy look with Robin, but was even more puzzled because she could feel nothing wrong in the atmosphere. Starfire didn't seem unnerved, though she was acting like it.

Robin came up to Starfire's right, standing alongside her and gazing out the window. Raven approached on her left, though a little more tentative, since she didn't want to get involved in any possible romantic moment the couple might have. Once she felt like it was secure to join them, she finally stood even in the line.

Cyborg looked up to ask a question of his friends by the coach, only to discover they were no longer there. He spotted them by the window and one could practically see question marks popping up above his head. He nudged Beast Boy, who grunted, thinking Cyborg was about to harass his love of tofu again.

"Look, Tin Man, I already told you you don't have to-"

"Look, BB," the other teen responded, almost in a whisper, like they were sharing a secret.

Beast Boy looked over and noticed his other three friends by the window. He narrowed his eyes. "Hey, what gives? They're having a powwow and didn't invite us?"

Cyborg gave no comment.

Beast Boy made the first move to go stand to the right of Robin. It was best to avoid Raven. If he said anything she considered stupid she would probably give him whiplash from a good smack to his head. Cyborg joined them by coming on Beast Boy's right.

"So..." Beast Boy mused, staring out at the city, trying to figure out what he was missing.

"Will we always be friends?" Starfire finally asked, her question coming out more as a sob as she watched the sun begin to set. Would their friendship one day set like the sun? Would they go their separate ways one day and never manage to keep in touch? Would everything that had happened only be special to them now, but not in the future?

"Starfire, we've been over this..." Robin started.

"We're Biffles!" Beast Boy grinned.

Raven's hand twitched, eager to reach over Starfire and Robin to give him what he deserved.

Beast Boy continued, "You know... Biffles, like how you say BFFLs, best friends for life!"

"Though I wouldn't put it that way, Beast Boy's right... in that little Elementary School sense," Cyborg sighed, not remembering at that moment that Starfire still struggled a bit with Earth school years and grades no matter how many times he had tried to explain it to her.

"Why do you question it so much?" Robin inquired.

"I just do not see how we will always be together."

"We won't," Raven stated, startling the others with her sudden speech. Not that Raven talking was uncommon anymore, but she had been only silently staring out the window since she had come up beside her friend and seemed to be staying out of the conversation.

Starfire seemed about to plunge into despair while Robin, Beast Boy, and Cyborg all braced themselves, all slightly annoyed that Raven would be so blunt about a sensitive topic to Starfire.

Raven, noticing the backlash that was about to happen, quickly continued, "But that doesn't mean we aren't together..."

"And you think I'm dumb. That made no sense," Beast Boy muttered.

"I mean... well..." Raven still wasn't sure how to handle the sentiment she could allow herself to feel now since the defeat of her father, so she was unsure how to go about explaining herself. "Even if we aren't together physically, we'll always remember each other in our hearts... That'll be what keeps us together and the only reason we can be... friends forever..."

She looked down at her feet, feeling uneasy and like she had picked that out of a book for small children, especially since the last part of it sort of rhymed. She crossed her arms to make herself feel a little more secure, that it would keep the others from seeing how uncomfortable she was with letting her feelings out in the open. Though it wasn't a fear she let come to the surface of her mind and it wasn't one she voiced, Raven would even have to admit she didn't want to be apart from the others. They had saved her and been the people she had always needed in her life...

The others, however anxious it made Raven, were touched by this statement. Not only by Raven's open display of friendship, but by the truth in it. It was then they all knew, including Starfire, that it didn't matter how far apart they were. That they might be separated, like in Starfire's trip to the future or when the Brotherhood of Evil had torn them away from each other, was no longer something they need concern themselves with.

Robin took Starfire's hand to share the moment of joy and relief. He too, found himself opening up. The leader who hid behind his mask felt a rush of pride. He couldn't help it, seeing the smile on Starfire's face and hearing Raven's soft words seemed to be just the right things for him at the time. Like a good medicine for a headache.

Starfire reached out and took Raven's hand from her crossed arms to let the quiet female know her words had been welcomed. Raven glanced up and a smile twitched at the corner of her lips before she looked back out the window, to distract herself from looking too emotional. She didn't do sappiness.

"Do you smell something burning?" Cyborg suddenly asked, bringing the atmosphere back to level as the sun finally vanished below the horizon.

Beast Boy was the only one to turn toward the kitchen.

"OH MY GOD MY TOFU!"

* * *

><p>Love the cheesiness?<p>

Yeah, I know, but I did my best to stick to the characters, though I know they were all a bit OOC. The reason I had Raven say the whole touching comment was because I believe that, deep down, losing the other Titans' is probably a bigger fear for her than the for Starfire since they were the first people to accept her completely.

Sorry for any typos or errors. I can reread things hundreds of times and still miss stuff like that.

Helpful comments appreciated, but no flames and such. People are here on fanfic to get get better at writing and be encouraged. I don't need anyone being a jerk to me when I already worry over my own writing enough to be a jerk to myself.

Uhm... I think that's it to say right now.

Love,

Deyoxis


	2. Brothers

**Brothers**

**Date: **A little bit after Season II and Terra's supposed death.  
><strong>Time of Day:<strong> Midnight to early morning.  
><strong>Involving:<strong> Beast Boy, Cyborg, and a little bit of Robin near the end.  
><strong>Type of Chapter:<strong> Sappy and depressing.  
><strong>Other Info:<strong> I chose to use a vision of Terra dying as opposed to his parents because I don't know the entirety of Beast Boy's past. Terra was a safer option, and one that I think made more sense for this chapter.

His room was too dark. It needed some light added to it. However, a nightlight would only cause him to be prone to the teasing of his friends. Especially Raven. Oh, she would never, ever let him live that down. That would be worse than any darkness.

Beast Boy pulled the covers up over his head and whimpered. He was lying to himself again. Just trying to find any excuse to make up for his sorrow. He was sick in his heart, that's what it was. Every day, Terra's death flashed over and over in his mind. He had almost saved her. But almost was never good enough in the end, really. Ben Franklin couldn't have changed the world by almost inventing the light bulb. No... The only way for it to have worked out was if he had saved her. And he hadn't.

His breathing was fitful as he fought back the choking sobs. He had been avoiding his friends for the past week. They had barely seen him. His sudden seclusion had even caused Raven to control her annoyance and be friendly to him. Now, he knew she really meant no harm when she smacked him, it was just her nature... a nature that wasn't entirely fond of his all the time, but he knew that she really cared. Especially now when, like the others, she was trying to so hard to make him smile. Ironic. He was supposed to be doing that to her.

Robin, who usually didn't appreciate Beast Boy hanging over his shoulder, wanting to help or watch, had even asked Beast Boy if he wanted to train, or look over files with him or _something_. Beast Boy had declined everything.

Cyborg had offered video game matches, go shopping for video games, that he'd dress up like a fairy, play stankball, and - heck - Cyborg had even offered to make him tofu! Beast Boy knew he should have been grateful. Cyborg was most certainly his closest companion on the team... but he just hadn't been able to accept. How deflated Cyborg had looked when even offering to make his greatest challenge (tofu!) had not returned Beast Boy's spirits.

And Starfire...

No Pudding of Sadness would ever cheer anyone up. At least not anyone with human blood. Nope... Tamaranians were the only creatures that could stomach that concoction.

Another choking sob. Beast Boy curled up some more before giving in to the desire and just shifted into a dog. He was often in that form now. Close to the heart shaped gift he had treasured Terra with not so long ago. It wasn't by him now. It was still lying in the forbidden room. Terra's room. So there he lay, alone, until he finally drifted off to sleep.

_"Beast Boy?" a voice called._

_He lifted his head, instantly recognizing it. He was lying in bed, but the bottom bunk unlike his usual spot on the top. Was this a dream? Or reality? He was no longer a dog. He was himself. He stood to his feet, stumbling for a moment before gaining his balance. He felt heavy and drained, like his body could no longer handle its own weight. However, the voice called again and it seemed to renew his strength some. He managed to make it to the common room... or what was supposed to be the common room._

_It was the cave. Slade's underground cavern. The earth beneath him was beginning to shake and the place felt hot. Steam rose through the air, creating a misty cloud. The air was overwhelmingly humid, but also dry at the same time. It was nearly unbearable, but the owner of the voice was here. Beast Boy could already see the end of this. It wasn't reality. But it had been, a couple days ago. It would replay over and over... She would say the same things she always did._

_"Beast Boy, you came!" Terra called, running over and throwing her arms around him. "I thought you had abandoned me!"_

_Wait... what? That wasn't what Terra had said. This wasn't the usual occurrence. This was... different. The others weren't here. Not at all. Though they hadn't played a major role in those final minutes, Beast Boy knew they had still been there._

_"Of course, Terra. I love you," he found himself saying and a tear rolled down his cheek. It didn't matter how different this dream was. The ending would still be the same._

_"You're going to save me, right? Me and the city. We'll be together, Beast Boy. Happy," the girl responded, her sparkling blue eyes looking upon him, a gentle smile on her lips as she pulled out of the hug. For a moment, her face was all he could concentrate on. He was looking at it, surrounded by the joy of a fresh day. No lava, no cavern. No Slade._

_"Happy," Beast Boy repeated, reaching for her hand and closing his eyes to enjoy the moment._

_As soon as he gripped her hand, he knew what had happened, for her hand was stone cold. In fact, it was stone. It was hard. It held no warmth and it did not grip back. It was unmoving. He dared to open his eyes. Her face was looking at him, but it no longer held its joy or splendor. Instead, her mouth was open in a silent cry for help. Her cheeks seemed to be stained, as if by tears. Her eyes looked hollow... as blank as the rock they had become._

_"You failed me, Beast Boy," her mind whispered in his head._

_Beast Boy looked down at the ground. He closed his eyes and felt hot tears rolling down his face. The room was no longer steamy or hot. It was a cold, empty grave._

_"I know."_

Wrenched from sleep and dripping with sweat and tears, Beast Boy could no longer handle it. He was being ripped a part from the inside by his own heart. His own desire to have the girl he was so certain he loved. He had only thought of being with her. With her and the Titans. It was like the world had been trying to give back to him what it had taken away from him. A family. Trying to make up for the parents it had ripped from his life so long ago. But now that was broken, too.

He untangled himself from his blankets after becoming human again, crawled out of the top bunk, and hit the floor. His knees wobbled and he had to grab a nearby dresser to compose himself. He picked up some wadded and probably used tissues and wiped at his face to clear the tears. He snatched up what he hoped was a clean shirt and wiped it across his neck and forehead to try and rid himself of the perspiration that beaded his body.

He had expected to get uncomfortable during the night. He had woken up like this the past couple since her death. So he was wearing nothing but boxer shorts. He had to take into account he was furry. Not exactly always easy to remain cool if he wore his uniform to bed.

Finally, he just left his room. He wasn't sure where he was headed, but he was headed somewhere. It was easy to just get up and leave all he had behind him. Temporarily, at least. He couldn't stay away from what was haunting him forever. He actually probably needed to face it. However, he wasn't sure how to do so. How does one just face the fact that a person that you had come to trust, to depend on, and to _love,_ was dead? He had coped with his parents because one, he had been so young and two, the Doom Patrol had somewhat managed to replace them. Who was ever going to replace Terra for him?

He had been staring down at the carpet as he walked. Then he realized he was no longer walking. He glanced up. There was a door in front of him. In plain, simple letters, the door stated, "CYBORG." Why had he brought himself here? Whatever. His sub-conscious had led him here so he obviously needed to do something. What could Cyborg do, though? Wasn't the half-metal teen in, like, sleep mode or something?

Beast Boy knocked and entered anyways. The door opening didn't arouse the large teen and neither did Beast Boy's heavy footsteps as he trotted up to Cyborg's... bed... more like a metal table.

He placed a hand on his friend. He was about to shake him when he found sorrow swelling up again. It was three o' clock in the morning. It made Beast Boy think of the one time he had been woken up by Terra, who came in and said she had had a nightmare. Back before she, well... betrayed them and whatnot. He had comforted her. He doubted Cyborg could do the same.

Beast Boy was about to take his hand away when a red eye came to life and the teen's head turned and looked at him. Beast Boy froze, realizing there were tears on his face, his body was shaking, and he had one hand on Cyborg's arm. Did that look awkward? Yeah, probably.

"BB? What's wrong? You have a nightmare?" Cyborg grumbled, struggling to fully wake up. He climbed off the table and unhooked himself from his... computer stuff.

Beast Boy nodded numbly.

"Lets go to the common room where we can sit on the couch. It'll be much more comfortable. I'll make you some hot apple cider," Cyborg said softly, guiding Beast Boy from the room.

Beast Boy didn't even bother to point out it was, like, the middle of summer.

In the common room, Cyborg got to boiling the cider and had Beast Boy sit on the couch wrapped up in a blanket. The robot teen never questioned nor said anything as he finished making the drink. Normally, Cyborg would have made hot chocolate for this kind of thing, but - since he wasn't entirely sure about Beast Boy's eating habits - he decided to avoid the fact it contained milk products.

Cyborg handed Beast Boy the cup and sat beside the younger teen. He waited while Beast Boy sipped at it, staring off through the window. Even as he finished the drink, he remained there, unmoving, silent. It was around four thirty in the morning when Beast Boy finally bothered to speak.

"I failed her. I can't replace her. I can't cope," he muttered.

Cyborg put an arm around him and seemed to be trying to find the right words to say. He looked at Beast Boy, then out the window, then to the kitchen, then back at Beast Boy. Finally, he heaved a big breath and sighed.

"You didn't fail her. Without you, she would have died under Slade's control, doing and being something she didn't want to do or be. Because of you, she at least got to end with her free will. By her own choice. I think she'll always be grateful for that," he started and, when Beast Boy looked like he would protest, he shook his head. "You may think you failed her, but you didn't. Without you, she would have just failed herself. But you gave her a reason to actually believe in herself and to fight for what was right. That's the thing she seemed to have been searching for her whole life... what's right."

Beast Boy blinked, realizing he felt a tad bit better. A little less guilty, perhaps, but he was still upset. The lump in his throat was still choking him. He knew Cyborg was going to say more, so he waited.

"Maybe you won't be able to replace her. But that's what made her special. If she didn't hold some valuable place in your heart then she wouldn't be someone you fell in love with. It makes it all the more better having known her since she's so irreplaceable. But that doesn't mean you won't find someone new... or that she won't find a way back to you. Who knows... maybe she can be freed from the stone."

Beast Boy looked up with hope filled eyes. Cyborg shrugged, indicating that freeing Terra wasn't a guarantee. Beast Boy couldn't place his whole dreams into the one idea that she might live again. The little green boy saddened again, turning to the window.

"And why can't you cope?"

"Without her... I feel incomplete. The people that took me in after I lost my parents were able to substitute the loss of my parents... but what can stand in for Terra?" Beast Boy whined, still staring at the window.

"Friends... family," Cyborg offered.

Beast Boy looked at him quizzically.

"Hey... a man doesn't always need girls. Even so, you got Starfire and Raven. No, they're probably not going to be your girlfriend like Terra was, but they're your sisters. Raven's probably more the stern side of a mom who won't tolerate any funny business, but she'll loosen up eventually. And you got Rob and I, man," Cyborg grinned. "Look, I know it's been hard on you. But you gotta' realize that we're here for you. Like friends... like family. We're brothers, you and me. And even Robin. He may be hard headed, but he'd do anything for you in the end. Just like I would. We gotta' stick together, you know? Life will never be easy or constant or straight or simple. But one thing will remain the same... we got each others' backs no matter what life throws at us."

Beast Boy... smiled.

It didn't replace the heartache. It didn't bring back Terra. It didn't heal the wounds or even band-aid them. However, Cyborg's words made things better. They were like a kiss from your mother after you have fallen down and scraped your knee. It didn't really fix anything, but it let you know things were going to be alright. You didn't have to cry. You may have a scar the rest of your life, but that doesn't mean it has to hurt.

"Thanks, Cy," Beast Boy whispered.

It was five thirty in the morning when all was said and done.

"What's going on here?" a voice asked.

Cyborg and Beast Boy craned their heads around to see Robin standing at the entrance to the common room. He was glancing around, unsure if he was disrupting something and should enter. He sniffed the air.

"Why does it smell like apple cider?"

Cyborg grinned while Beast Boy smiled sheepishly. The little green boy stood up and ran over to Robin, throwing his arms around the older boy, closing his eyes and sighing.

"Thanks for being there for me," he said, then opened his eyes and glanced at Cyborg as he finished speaking. "Both of you."

Robin blinked and returned the hug awkwardly, casting a glance at Cyborg. The metal teen grinned and said, "What? Guys can hug too."

Then the robot teen proceeded to mouth, 'I'll tell you later' to Robin, so the masked leader was able to nod and just go along with it as Beast Boy released the hug and stood there, grinning happily despite the loss in his heart.

* * *

><p>I have never experienced a break up. And certainly not one by death.<p>

So maybe this was a little exaggerated or something, but I wanted it to hit a soft spot. After all, if it didn't, then all the cheesiness at the end would seem extremely stupid x3

But, anyways, I hope you still enjoyed it.

No flames, but criticism welcomed. As well as reviews and suggestions.

Love,

Deyoxis


	3. Mall Shopping

**Mall Shopping**

**Date: **This is a bit confusing. The first bit takes place after "Switched" and then the four following it are each a season later than the previous one. Just read to see what I mean x3  
><strong>Time of Day:<strong> Afternoon for each scene.  
><strong>Involving: <strong>Starfire and Raven  
><strong>Type of Chapter:<strong> Just some simple hanging out, chatting, and being… girls xD  
><strong>Other Info:<strong> I don't think this chapter has anything else.

"Oh, where should we head first?" Starfire cheered, running into the mall with Raven in tow behind her. Ever since Raven had asked that morning if Starfire wanted to go to the mall, the alien had been more excited than ever. It had been difficult to concentrate during the meditation Starfire had joined her friend in, but now that they were through it, all of Starfire's excitable energy was bursting out.

Raven, meanwhile, was jumping between regret and tolerance over the idea. Part of her had only asked because she felt she owed it to Starfire. The alien girl was obviously going out of her way to try and understand Raven more by partaking in meditation. The other part had sincerely wanted to spend the afternoon with the red head, who Raven was beginning to see as more of a friend now. The two hadn't been on rocky terms before or anything, but they were polar opposites who had had difficulty finding any sort of common ground. But then, yesterday, the whole "body-switching" ordeal had occurred and Raven felt she and Starfire could make a better friendship work. If Starfire could learn to focus enough to use Raven's powers, then the alien couldn't be all just a happy mass of joy.

But that's all Raven was seeing now as Starfire tugged her along to different windows to gaze in to each shop and see what contents it held.

They came up to another window and, upon peering inside, Raven could see it was nothing more than a men's clothing shop. Starfire giggled and waved. A teen boy, standing on the other side of the window looking through shirts, grinned and waved back. Raven was glad her hood was up. She felt like a messed up marshmallow in a box of Lucky Charms. It stood out so clearly but you didn't want to eat it because it looked funny. She stood out in the crowd of shoppers but was nothing more than some other person in their way.

"Starfire," she trailed, glancing behind her and trying to find an escape. She fidgeted when she realized that more people were staring at them than she originally thought. After all, no one had even seen Raven really out of the tower when not fighting… and never had they thought she'd step foot in the mall!

"Let us go in there!" Starfire finally decided and tugged Raven down the hall some and into an American Eagle. Starfire proceeded to pull out various clothes that she wanted to try on and even grabbed a couple things and tossed them at Raven, telling her that she needed to try them on with her.

"Starfire," Raven tried again, eying the pink and black skirt Starfire had handed her disdainfully. She winced even more when the taller girl tossed her a light blue dress.

Starfire, unaware of Raven's discomfort, merely began to ramble, "These will look so cute! Oh, we could use them for lunch outings or, this is nice enough for a dance, or maybe a picnic."

"Starfire!" Raven tried again, allowing her voice to get a bit louder, but she was struggling with letting it get too loud. She had no desire to draw any more attention to them than being there already was.

"And what about- oh! I'm sorry, Raven, what is it?" Starfire turned from the tee shirt she was holding up to see what Raven had to say.

"I… I don't want to try on any clothes. I'll… wait outside," the dark girl fumbled, dropping the clothes to the floor and sinking to the ground with her powers.

"Oh," Starfire said, shoulders sagging slightly and looking at where Raven had vanished. She picked up the clothes Raven had dropped and went to try everything on. When she was done, she left the store, expecting Raven to be waiting outside in the hall of the mall. When she couldn't find her, Starfire realized Raven had meant the real outside. "Oh…"

Starfire left without going to another store. She and Raven returned to the tower, Starfire hiding the disappointment deep inside while Raven only seemed embarrassed.

* * *

><p>"Terra, why don't we go to the mall of shopping?" Starfire questioned the blond, who was sitting on the couch licking a Popsicle.<p>

"Sure, Star," Terra decided, finishing the frozen treat off in a bite much too big for a normal girl. She didn't have trouble, however, and jumped to her feet, ready to go. "I haven't been shopping at a mall in ages!"

It wasn't that long ago Terra had returned to the team, saying she had learned to control her powers. Starfire saw this as an opportunity to go shopping with not only Raven, but a girl who might actually be interested in going.

"Raven, join us," Starfire called as she and Terra started towards the door.

Raven looked up from her book. She hesitated, seeming about to shake her head. But Starfire's facial expression started to become sullen and, not wanting to make her upset, Raven sighed and stood, setting the book down. She marched forward and waited for the other two to lead the way.

Terra gave her a puzzled look, not thinking Raven would have ever agreed to going to the mall. But she didn't know this wasn't Raven's first time. Raven and Starfire had been out a couple times, though the outings weren't improving much from the first time. Raven, still feeling too out in the open, usually fled early or avoided doing anything at all but trailing along behind the Tameranian with her hood up and face down.

Once at the mall, Starfire and Terra set out and got down to business. While Terra chose more tom-boyish outfits, she still went and tried them out, giving Starfire her opinion on Starfire's outfits and Starfire doing likewise for her. Both would turn to Raven, who was sitting in a waiting chair, and inquire as to her opinion.

"It looks good," was Raven's answer to everything.

Terra and Starfire even purposefully found the stupidest outfits they could, put them on, and asked Raven how they looked just to see if she could change her answer.

"It looks good," Raven monotoned, seeming uninterested and even somewhat scared. She was a bit huddled on the chair, hands fidgeting as girls walking by her whispered under their breath and then giggled loudly. Raven winced, and stopped even looking at the outfits Starfire and Terra tried on.

Later that night, after dinner, Terra wandered up to Starfire.

"Well, Raven sure seems like a bucket of joy to go to the mall with," she informed the alien.

"That was the first time Raven actually stayed in the mall the whole time or at least commented on my outfit," Starfire responded, sighing. "Normally she finds a chance to escape and takes it or doesn't speak."

Terra frowned sympathetically before heading off to bed, leaving Starfire to watch one of her favorite documentaries, The Documentary on the Making of Chicken Fingers.

* * *

><p>"What do you think about this outfit?" Starfire asked, spinning around. It was a white blouse, puffy sleeved and v-necked. A short, tight pink skirt that was just long enough and brown knee-high boots covered her lower portion.<p>

"Hmmm," Raven responded, glancing up slightly from the chair. Her face was still shrouded by her hood, but Raven was actually looking at the outfits and commenting now, as opposed to what she used to do. "I hate pink."

"Can you take yourself out of the equation for a moment and answer me?" Starfire sighed, suddenly wondering if she preferred the Raven that didn't have an opinion on the outfit.

"The top is cute. The skirt is okay, I guess. I dunno… It just makes me think of your regular outfit except a different color."

"True," Starfire sighed, glancing down. "What about the boots?"

Raven shrugged and glanced away as a group of girls wandered in. Just like every group that passed through, they glanced at Raven and did the same thing they always did – whispered and giggled. Once the girls were in their changing rooms, Raven turned back to Starfire, glancing at the boots again real quick. "They're a bit plain."

Starfire could tell Raven was stabbing in the dark. She didn't really know what to think of most of these outfits. Raven didn't really pay attention to the fashion trends and what was actually cute or not. But she was trying and that was enough for Starfire.

"Well, I'm out of outfits here. I need to run to Victoria's Secret, though, for some new bras. You'd be surprised how many of my other ones are ripped now," Starfire groaned, walking back into the changing room to get undressed. "You need any undergarments, Raven?"

"Erm… not now, no."

The other girls in the room all giggled. One girl made a joke that she thought was quiet, but both Raven and Starfire could easily hear.

"Raven probably doesn't wear bras or anything… She doesn't shop or leave the tower for anything but moldy old books!"

Raven winced and rose from the chair, leaving the changing room without even letting Starfire know she was going. She ducked from the store and vanished out into the mall crowd, but soon felt overwhelmed and started towards the exit. At this point, Starfire had left the changing room and noticed her friend was gone. She hurried after her, managing to spot her hooded friend easy enough and rushed to catch up to her.

"No, Star, go get what you need. I'll wait for you in the parking lot. I just need some fresh air is all," Raven mumbled when Starfire caught up to her. She waved Starfire off and proceeded toward the entrance so she could escape this place, her body hiding under her cloak and her face downcast as always.

"Just when she was getting a bit better," Starfire sighed to herself. She turned and started in the direction of Victoria's Secret. "I blame Malchior…"

* * *

><p>"How many outfits do you have?" Raven asked as she took a seat. Her hood was down, but her eyes were glancing this way and that to make sure no one was staring.<p>

"Three," Starfire responded, nodding in confirmation as she recounted her outfits real quick. She smiled at Raven, who half smiled back before it faded. Starfire quickly walked into the dressing room and shut the door.

She felt confident about today's trip. Raven had told them just a couple days ago about Trigon and so the dark girl had seemed more on edge and reclusive than ever. Starfire figured the shopping trip would show Raven that Starfire saw her no differently than before and that it might get Raven's mind off the event to come.

The Tameranean finished putting on the first outfit. A simple floral patterned sundress with a cute pair of flip-flops. She admired herself in the mirror briefly before walking out, spinning as she did so. She spotted one of those floppy straw hats in another dressing room and retrieved it, putting it on to finish off the look. She grinned, chuckling and asking, "Whatcha' think?"

Raven managed another half-smile and sat up straight, actually looking over Starfire's outfit.

"I think those colors look really nice on you. But maybe you could do without the hat? Those shoes are… cute, I suppose," Raven attempted, trying her best to be a good fashion friend. She winced, fearing she didn't do too well. She knew Starfire didn't care, but she had been working so hard to get better at this appraising job for Starfire.

Starfire giggled and tossed the hat to the side, saying, "I don't really care for the hat myself."

Then some girls entered and Starfire felt her heart sink. With Raven dreading the coming future and feeling more unsure about herself than ever, Starfire could see this trip falling apart real fast all of a sudden. Why didn't she see this coming sooner? It was impossible to go to the mall without running into this situation.

The whispering began and Raven looked away, her hands instinctively going for her hood.

Suddenly Starfire felt anger welling up inside her. How many shopping trips had it taken for Raven to finally feel alright with letting her hood down? Now some rotten girls were going to ruin it. Starfire had worked too hard to earn Raven's trust and security for this to happen.

"If you have something you want to say to Raven and I, say it to our faces, please. The muttering under the breath is not only rude, but annoying. I have put up with it from girls like you for too long now. So what is it you have to say?" Starfire demanded. She was so caught up that she forgot to say 'please' at the end of her rant.

The girls, caught off-guard, just stared at Starfire like she had sprouted another head.

"If you have nothing to say, then don't even bother. And don't even bother trying that dress on. You are too caked in makeup, it'll make you look like one of those dolls named Barbie on those drugs that athletes can not take," Starfire continued, straightening up and glaring at the girls.

The teen females didn't seem to care that Starfire's insult didn't particularly make sense. They only knew they had just made the impossible - to get mad Starfire actually mad - possible. They fled from the room without saying anything else or trying anything on.

Starfire stood there for a moment before wincing and calling after them, "Sorry! You were just being mean to my friend!"

Looking over at Raven, Starfire saw the empath was staring at where the girls had left the room with wide eyes, mouth opened just slightly. Raven blinked before looking over at Starfire, her hands dropping from her hood. For the first time in a while, Raven genuinely smiled.

* * *

><p>"So, what do you think?" Raven asked, gingerly stepping out of the dressing room and turning. She was wearing a long black dress that hugged her curves and almost made her look smaller than she already was.<p>

"I think you look gorgeous, Raven! But it is so dull. You simply must try on the one with the ruffles," Starfire begged, jumping up and down before spinning around herself. The peach dress twirled around with her, looking like a Sunday church outfit. "Do you think this is cute for a date with Robin?"

"Maybe if it was a darker color. It looks too spring… and peach doesn't really go with your skin tone," Raven said, her voice sounding firm and sure of herself.

"You're right. I think there was a red one out there… Or a dark blue. Maybe one of them would look a bit better," Starfire ventured, examining herself in the mirror real quick. She frowned and determined Raven was right. "Robin would think I look silly."

"Robin would never voice it to you, though," Raven reminded her. "He'd say you look pretty in whatever you feel comfortable in."

"I know," Starfire giggled. She and Robin had been having a wonderful time since Tokyo. However, the Brotherhood of Evil had kept them from going on many dates for a while and Starfire was looking forward to the one he promised her this Saturday night now that most of the villains were out of commission. Or at least frozen.

The two girls went back into their changing rooms. Through the wall, Raven spoke to Starfire, sounding both amused and irritated. "I hate trying on clothes. But I guess I don't mind coming to the mall with you."

Starfire laughed.

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting to hear you say that!"

* * *

><p>Chapter end x3<p>

Pretty much, I honestly think that as Raven opened up more, she became more willing to go to the mall and do things with Starfire. And I just felt that at the beginning she felt so "exposed" and odd. And that everyone there found it really odd too, which is why everyone whispers about it.

But, yeah. I find Starfire and Raven's friendship to be really impressive. Their differences are pretty huge... But they have just enough in common, I think, to make it work really well. I think they like knowing someone with qualities they don't have. Starfire gets to try being more serious and focused when dealing with Raven while Raven has to really put herself out there like with the mall here.

But, yeah...

Just no flames, please. Constructive criticism is okie dokie, but flames just kind of suck for any writer to endure xD

Love,

Deyoxis


	4. Snow Day

**Whoa... a chapter x3**

**Snow Day**

**Date: **Uhm... I'm going to say... Sometime after season five? I guess this really doesn't matter since it doesn't affect any plotlines whatsoever, but... after season five lets say... xD  
><strong>Time of Day:<strong> Afternoon to evening/sunsetish.  
><strong>Involving: <strong>All the Titans  
><strong>Type of Chapter:<strong> An attempt at being humorous, I suppose...  
><strong>Other Info:<strong> There's not much of a point to this chapter. It's just fun xD

Beast Boy stared out the window with such an intensity that even Raven felt a bit worried about him. The four were gathered behind him, watching him look outside with his green eyes narrowed. His body was tense and he had one arm folded over his chest while the other one scratched at his chin. He didn't move. He didn't speak. It was like Beast Boy had gone up and vanished and some other strange green kid was now standing in the living room.

"Beast Boy, are you not well?" Starfire finally asked, her words seeming to test themselves before they slipped out of her mouth. She seemed scared that she would disturb whatever was troubling the green boy.

No response.

Silence settled so thick in the living room that Robin began to wonder if his teammates were even breathing. He had to glance over them to make sure and was relieved when he saw the steady rise and falls of their chests, proving that they were alive. It was difficult not to think that they weren't zombies or something of the sort. After all, the living room was only this quiet around three in the morning perhaps. When Slade or some other villain wasn't causing trouble, that was.

"You know what, instead of standing here, I think I'm going to take advantage of this and enjoy the silence," Raven finally voiced, filling the void with her sarcastic remark and returning a level or normalcy to the situation.

As she turned to venture off, Beast Boy seemed to find himself. His arms suddenly went flying into the air and he exclaimed, "DUDES!"

The sudden call made Raven wince and reluctantly turn back to see what had come over him. Starfire, so caught off guard, had squeaked with surprise and jumped behind Robin, lifting up his cape to cower behind it. Cyborg raised an eyebrow while Robin felt the urge to ignore him and act like Beast Boy was still just standing there, quiet. It was a lot nicer, he had to agree with Raven on that.

"Why don't we get any snow? It's DECEMBER. We should have fluffy white stuff littering the ground in frozen glory," the boy continued.

Raven snorted while Starfire stood back up straight and cocked her head. "Wait, we have most certainly been in snow and it was not... fluffy."

Beast Boy frowned at her. "It's just... never mind, Star, it's not important. The important thing is is that we get some snow as soon as possible."

"Beast Boy, it's about forty degrees outside," Cyborg noted.

"Yeah, but it's cloudy!"

"What Cyborg means is that, even if it was snowing, it'd probably melt before it hit the ground," Raven sighed, furrowing her eyebrows in frustration. "Besides, it's just snow, get over it."

"Just snow!? Snow is only one of the best things about winter! Snowball fights, snow angels, snowmen, and that kind of stuff."

At this point in time, the worry for Beast Boy had quickly passed. Raven shook her head and retreated from the scene. Robin remained still but Starfire jumped forward, suddenly seeming eager. Her eyes were glowing with that sudden excitement she had all the time, but cranked up a notch because this was something to be even more excited about outside of the regular routine. The girl was an adorable sweety, but that look was probably one of the scariest ever. It usually meant that Starfire was about to start pleading for something that either wasn't important or was a little dumb... or a lot dumb.

"Oh, I do so ever want to partake in these events! We did not get to do them last time and I would be most joyous if we could," the alien squealed, clapping her hands together and jumping up and down. Her red hair bounced fluidly. Honestly, did it never get messed up even the slightest with how much she moved?

Beast Boy grinned like he had triumphed in the Olympic games or something. The little green boy and the alien's sheer joy was contagious or something because, soon enough, Cyborg had a smile sliding across his face. His human eye sparked and Robin could have sworn his robotic eye got brighter as some sort of idea swept through his brain.

"I could probably build a snow machine," the half-robot finally declared.

Beast Boy and Starfire let out cheers of delight so loud that Raven probably got a headache from wherever she was in the tower. Starfire turned and began to plead with Robin, her voice dripping desperation and Robin added a point to his name for knowing it was coming. Robin opened his mouth, about ready to question Cyborg's machine when his friend seemed to guess what he was about to say anyways.

"I got the equipment. If I build it right, I could probably make snow that won't melt very fast and without the use of ice. We could just put it around the tower."

"How would you make snow that doesn't melt in forty degree weather and doesn't need ice to be made? Or are you going to use water?" Robin questioned.

Bad questions. Cyborg quickly went on about sciences that Robin didn't even know existed. He wasn't dumb and he understood a lot about science, but the things Cyborg were saying didn't just go through one ear and out the other, they never even made it in through the first ear. By the looks on Starfire and Beast Boy's faces, Robin could tell they were having a harder time than himself. They literally looked like their brains had completely stopped functions and they could only gape at their tall friend in what would either be considered amazement or stupidity.

Knowing he had to seem like he knew what was going on, Robin just shrugged and gave the okay when Cyborg finished.

Cyborg dashed away in a frenzy while Beast Boy and Starfire peered over at their leader.

"What did he say, Robin?" Starfire inquired. Beast Boy thundered after Cyborg, deciding it would be more enjoyable to pester his friend until he was done than listen to Robin repeat crap he didn't understand.

Robin looked at Starfire and let his mouth fall wide. He shut it then, his lips set in a hard line as he thought, using all his brain power to see if he could put it in words for Starfire to understand when he didn't even know. Finally, he decided the truth was the only way out of this question. "I honestly don't know."

Starfire seemed content with this answer and flaunted off to the kitchen, intent on doing cooking of some sort. The living room doors opened and Raven came back in, her face a clear sign that she wasn't pleased. Upon spotting Robin she strode over to him, fists clenching warily at her sides. When she came to a stop in front of him, her arms were crossed and her violet eyes flashed dangerously. Robin refused to step back like he felt he needed to.

"Why would you let them do this?"

"It's just for some fun, Rae," he tried to explain but she wouldn't have it.

"No, this is stupid. Cyborg locked Beast Boy out of the garage so now he-"

She didn't get to finish as Beast Boy suddenly appeared, calling her name in a long, high pitched whine. He was holding some strange objects, what looked like a metal rod and a big plank of wood. Robin couldn't decipher where he could have gotten the objects. Raven flinched and maneuvered up to stand beside her leader. Robin realized she was hoping he'd back her up with whatever this was.

"Help me build this sled," Beast Boy commanded as he lumbered up to them. The plank and metal made him walk awkwardly as neither seemed light to carry.

Raven made a grunting noise under her breath. "Just change into a gorilla and bend the metal yourself. You don't need me to do it for you."

Robin quickly caught on to what was going on and began to laugh. He motioned Beast Boy to set the objects down and shook his head. He grinned despite himself. "C'mon, Beast Boy, we can just run to the store real quick and buy some real sleds."

Beast Boy beamed at him, but the sharp jab of Raven's elbow into his side made it a little less enjoyable.

* * *

><p>"All right, y'all, check it out," Cyborg declared, throwing his arms out wide like he was presenting something grand.<p>

In reality, he sure was.

Stepping outside of the tower, Robin had to admit that it looked pretty awesome. The normal ground was now bathed in a blanket of white. The snow glittered from the pale light that shone through the grey clouds above. The overcast day seemed almost gorgeous when one was looking at the different landscape. Cyborg had even rigged it so that snowflakes seemed to be falling, though his machine was just blasting the flakes down to them from a couple floors up, rigged along the side of the T-Tower. A soft wind blew by, bringing with it a chill. Some of the snow kicked up and swirled around their feet, giving the area a magical feel of sorts.

"I have to admit. This is rather impressive, Cyborg," Robin finally voiced.

Then he had a face full of snow. Starfire and Beast Boy, so ecstatic, had jumped forward to go bounding through their winter wonderland and had knocked him over in the process. He rolled onto his back and heaved himself back to his feet, spitting out the snow in the process. It tasted like snow, but he still wasn't sure he wanted to eat it, not certain how Cyborg had made it.

Raven chuckled dryly at him from where she stood in the doorway, propped against the frame with a sly grin on her face. Robin decided at that moment he would get her later, when she wasn't expecting it. He must had shown some sign of this devious thought on his face because Raven's smile dropped.

No, that wasn't it. It was the fact that she had seen Starfire come barreling back.

Raven jumped inside to safety while Robin felt Starfire's full impact of the hug with its lung crushing power and all. She began to thank him for letting Cyborg do this, her words enveloping him in a barrage of kindness. After all the jumbled up words that flooded out, Robin decided he could go a couple days without a compliment now. He managed to glance up, though it was a struggle, and see Raven come back to the entrance, that darn smirk playing on her face again.

"Starfire, please release me," he asked, his voice barely above a whisper as it choked out.

The alien let go of him and he sucked back in much needed oxygen. He loved her to death, he did, but he didn't always appreciate her hugs. He turned to face her, then eyed beyond her to see Cyborg was already at work on building a snowman while Beast Boy had fallen backwards and was splaying his arms and legs out, working them up, down, out, and around to make a snow angel.

Starfire skipped over to join him. Instead of doing it on her back, however, she threw herself down on her stomach, face first, and began to copy the motions. Robin felt his gut ache with laughter and he spewed it out. Beast Boy followed suite. Starfire eventually looked up and asked what wrong. The boys couldn't even answer.

Once he caught his breath, Beast Boy stood up, struggling to not damage his creation. Starfire flew to her feet, sparing her angel of footprint indentions.

"Oh, look, an angel with pointed ears, how beautiful," Raven teased Beast Boy from the doorway.

Beast Boy cast her a glare. "I bet if you made one it would have devil horns."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Robin could tell Beast Boy regretted them. Though he obviously meant them teasingly, it was a line that shouldn't be crossed considering Raven was half-demon. Robin wheeled around and quickly ran up and snatched Raven's arm before she could make an attempt to go inside and shut the door.

She looked taken aback when he grabbed her.

"What's up, Robin?" she asked, clear surprise in her voice.

Robin blinked his masked eyes, suddenly feeling stupid. Raven didn't even seem to have registered Beast Boy's words, he had reacted so quickly. The girl glanced up at him, acting puzzled, head cocking.

"I, well," he started.

"You didn't want me to go shut myself up in my room and avoid you guys for the rest of the day due to Beast Boy's rude and uncalled for comment?" she deadpanned.

Robin knew he didn't even have to respond to that.

"I won't do that, Robin. Then I wouldn't be able to do this," the girl continued.

Now Robin was confused. "Do what?"

Then it hit him. A mound of snow and he was down. He let go of Raven's arm and crashed under the pile, the weight of it pressing him to the ground before he fought his way back to the surface. Raven was grinning that stupid grin. He glanced over his shoulder to see that Beast Boy had suffered the same treatment while Starfire was standing there, seeming wildly out of sorts at what had just happened.

"No fair," Beast Boy called, his voice muffled under the snow. His head popped up a second later and he had to wiggle the rest of his body to the surface. "If we're going to have a snowball fight, it's going to be fair. No powers!"

Raven was rolling a snowball around in her hands, peering down at it. She snapped her head up and cried out, "Deal!"

Then she hurled it and it exploded on the side of Starfire's head. The other female let out a squeal of surprise and began to shake her head, trying to get the clinging snow out of her hair. She caught on pretty fast to the game and scooped up some snow, launching it at Robin.

Robin dived out of the way, catching himself with his hands and rolling to the side. At this point, Beast Boy had gathered himself and was now tossing snowballs this way and that, just hoping to hit someone. Robin moved a fair distance out of the way and piled as much snow as he could into a barrier.

Beast Boy copied him while Raven moved around the corner of the T-Tower. Starfire, not knowing what exactly to do, remained out in the open and became the easiest target. The war was on and it was four people against each other, no alliances. Robin never could quite figure out who exactly was managing to hit him, but all he knew was he took one square to the chest at one point while he was chucking one at Beast Boy. It had to be one of the girls and judging by the strength of the impact he assumed it was Starfire.

After a lengthy time, Robin felt his arms beginning to burn. He didn't mind, he was used to the sensation. It was the fact that the sun was sinking to the horizon that alerted him it was about time to go in. That was when the first one of them fell. Starfire collapsed in a heap, covered in white and letting out an exasperated sigh.

"I am done, friends. I concede," she cried, lying back in the snow.

Robin laughed and looked around. He met Beast Boy's gaze.

"You're going down next, Robin!" the green boy called, only to catch a snowball with his cheek from Raven.

Beast Boy remained on the ground for a moment and Robin took advantage of it to pelt him with a couple snowballs of his own. After the onslaught, Beast Boy raised his hands in defeat and crawled over to Starfire. The two of them laughed at each other, so covered in snow that they looked almost like real life snowmen.

Now it was just Raven to go. Robin decided there was nothing to lose. He gathered as many weapons as he could and charged to the corner of the T-Tower He came around, only to find the place empty. He stood there, hearing the distant sounds of Starfire and Beast Boy giggling and the waves of the ocean crashing against the frozen shoreline. Some snowflakes danced around his head before he realized he didn't know why Beast Boy and Starfire were giggling unless...

He turned around too late and took a snowball to the mouth. He was so caught off guard that he nearly tumbled backwards but Raven reached out and caught him, righting him. She laughed for a second before regaining her composure. Robin coughed chunks of snow up onto the ground.

"Sorry, Boy Blunder. You weren't supposed to turn around," she chuckled slightly, the smirk smoothly playing out on her lips.

Robin glanced back and noticed footprints making their way around the tower.

"How did you know I was going to do this?" he asked, turning back to look at her.

"I didn't. I just thought it'd catch you off guard if I was on the other side. You just made things ten times easier, though, by coming to try and get me."

Robin put his hands on his hips and shook his head at himself. He burst with laughter, unable to believe he had been so dumb. He hadn't thought he'd need to be strategic with such a simple activity. Being impulsive, though, made him the loser in the end. He wandered back over to Starfire and Beast Boy, who were still sitting on the ground, watching. Starfire squealed and clapped her hands. She and Best Boy clambered to their feet and were about to get the new sleds for sledding when Raven came up beside Robin and narrowed her eyes.

"Where's Cyborg?" she questioned.

"Hey, guys, check this out!" said friend suddenly hooted.

The four of them craned their heads over to see what their friend had done. Once they saw, they burst into a new round of laughter, but it didn't phase Cyborg at all. He showed off his creation with great joy, waggling his eyes and beaming from ear to ear.

"I call him Snowborg!"

It was a snowman built to look exactly like himself.

* * *

><p>I'm not sure where this came from...<p>

And Robin and Raven are so OOC xD

Oh, well.

Hope it was amusing.

Luff,

Deyoxis


	5. Cooking Lessons

**Whoa... another chapter... xD I needed to write something that wasn't HTTYD related. I love HTTYD and my story, but I figured updating with a new chapter for this bunch of randomness wouldn't hurt x3**

**Cooking Lessons**

**Date: **Not long after the season four finale. Like... a week or so.  
><strong>Time of Day:<strong> Afternoon  
><strong>Involving: <strong>Cyborg, Starfire, Raven, and Robin. Beast Boy makes a very brief appearance.  
><strong>Type of Chapter:<strong> Another attempt at being humorous.  
><strong>Other Info:<strong> I attempted to make this chapter have a bit of a point by looking it as a way for Raven to move past the father incident... But I spend practically no time on that so it's not as important as I initially intended it to be x3

"So the point of this game is to... shoot people?" Starfire questioned, narrowing her eyes at the screen as Robin massacred another hoard of zombies. She seemed a bit distressed by the point of the whole thing, but she didn't say anything about it.

Robin grinned, gaze never wavering as he jammed his fingers down on the buttons of the remote like it might make the gun more effective or his shots more on target. "Well... yes. But they're zombies, Star. I have to kill them so they don't come and eat everyone's brains."

"But aren't zombies all ready dead?"

Robin jabbed the start button in order to pause the game. He turned his head to face the alien girl to his right, opening his mouth to respond before he realized that trying to explain the game how he was about to wouldn't work very well. He mused for a moment before confessing, "Well, it's just a video game. It's not exactly based off fact. So the all ready dead zombies can become re-dead in it just because that's how the game is."

Starfire seemed content with this and Robin released a sigh of relief that his explanation had been good enough. He was about to turn back to the TV screen but decided to glance about and see what Cyborg was doing. The half-metal teen was wandering around the kitchen, pulling out random supplies and such to make something. Cyborg had talked about craving cake recently so perhaps he was finally getting around to pulling the creation together. Hopefully it wasn't the eight layer cake again. That had been delicious but watching Cyborg eat as many pieces as he did made Robin feel sicker than his stomach had all ready felt after his fifth piece. It was crazy what the older boy could devour - part robot or not.

The Boy Wonder's mind then drifted to wondering what Raven was up to. It had only been about a week since her father's demise so it was no surprise that she wasn't around as often as she had been before. She was adjusting and, as Robin could see, still nervous. Though she played it off like it hadn't happened - continued to tease Beast Boy, went shopping with Starfire, and assisted Cyborg with the T-car - Robin could see that the girl wasn't particularly rid of the fear that had been plaguing her her whole life. The way she checked the shadows, wrung her cape in her hands, and spun around to look behind her only to see nothing all pointed to the fact that she hadn't quite moved completely on like she tried to make it seem. She was trying too hard. Her taunts were tense, her shopping too eager, and her hands shook when she handed Cyborg a tool he needed. Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Starfire were all aware of the signs, surprisingly, but continued to just go along. None of them knew exactly how to reach out and comfort Raven. The end of the world had shaken her, left her rattled, and not one of them was certain just how to hold her steady, Robin included.

Cyborg had stooped down to get a bowl out from one of the lower cabinets. He paused, stood up straight, then gazed directly over at Robin and asked, "Where's Raven?"

"I'm not sure. Her bedroom, probably," Robin responded, curiosity spiking at Cyborg's sudden inquiry.

The older boy nodded once, then marched from the main room. At this point, even Starfire had turned and watched with wide, confused eyes. Robin exchanged a glance with her, waiting. The music of the pause menu from Robin's game continued to hum away but, at this point, he had forgotten he was even playing.

It wasn't long before Cyborg returned. Raven was on his heels, seeming puzzled, but following nonetheless. She pursued Cyborg into the kitchen where he stopped, turning to her and beaming with whatever brilliant idea had come to mind. Raven just continued to stare at him, cocking her head just enough to send her short hair adrift to one side. She placed her hands on her hips, seeming to become annoyed with Cyborg's lack of an explanation.

"I'm going to teach you how to bake a cake!"

"What?" Raven, Robin, and Starfire all panned at once.

The empath craned her head to see Robin and Starfire on the couch. She flushed lightly, having just realized they were there. Robin frowned, knowing she was probably mentally scolding herself for having not noticed, too busy caught up in some other rage of thoughts going through her head. Robin had a feeling he knew what topic they were on. He found himself standing up, tossing the game's remote control aside and walking on over into the kitchen area.

Starfire trailed him and asked, "Would you teach me, as well, Cyborg?"

Cyborg just grinned. Raven faced the eldest teen again, seeming a bit irritated, her fingers twitching as if she wanted to clench them. Her mouth was set in a firm line, but she didn't say anything for a moment, contemplating, before finally, "Why do you feel the need to teach me to bake a cake?"

"Because neither of the ladies in this building know how to make real earth food! Starfire just knows Tameranean stuff and, well... your pancakes..." Cyborg stopped himself, unsure how to go about explaining the strange textural and flavor combination that Raven's attempt at cooking had been.

Robin chuckled lightly, "You two defy the stereotype of women being able to cook..."

"Well neither of us are exactly just regular women," Raven said pointedly, her words meaning to be a joke but coming out rough.

A layer of discomfort hit Robin as he realized Raven was referring to Starfire being alien and she, herself, being half demon. He also felt a wave of anger, however, disappointed that Raven wouldn't stop degrading herself. He contemplated scolding her, trying to encourage her, but she moved past it before he had time to think of something witty. She picked up the cake mix and declared, "Don't you just pour this in a bowel and cook it?"

"You're kidding me, right?" Cyborg pressed. "Please tell me you're kidding."

Raven tripped up over the question, knowing she should say she was but clearly having been serious. She flipped the box around in her hands carefully, fingers trembling just the slightest. When she found the recipe instructions her amethyst eyes glazed over them. She hid whatever embarrassed emotion she had to be feeling quite well. Instead, she just shrugged at it, handing the box over to Cyborg, who was shaking his head in utter disappointment.

"This is why you ladies need to cook," the boy said miserably. "And I'm going to teach you from scratch so you learn some actual skills."

Robin had to belt a quick bout of laughter. This earned him a sheepish smile from Starfire and a pointed glare from Raven, but he didn't care. So, instead, he moved to preheat the over, trying to distract himself so that he would stop laughing before he insulted one of them. Though laughing at their cooking skills was all ready a bit of an insult... He coughed, regaining his composure.

Cyborg began to instruct the females on what they should do, waving a recipe around that told them the exact measurements of each of their ingredients (apparently Raven had failed at measuring with those pancakes). Starfire listened with wide eyes and the eagerness of a puppy playing fetch while Raven went along with a rather lackluster. Starfire was handed two eggs to put into the mix while Raven was told to measure out some flour. Robin stood off to the side, just watching. He had no intention of stepping in or helping because he figured the two could handle the job well enough. Cyborg instructed dutifully and with a broad smile stretched across his face. However, as soon as Starfire was informed of her job, things went down hill.

Break the eggs, Cyborg said.

Ah, dear Cyborg... You need to be a little bit more explanatory when it comes to telling a teenaged alien with super strength to break things.

Starfire, an egg in each hand, held them out to the side before clapping her hands together over the bowel. The eggs, so fragile, were smashed together, breaking and crumbling, sending bits of eggshell and yoke everywhere. A glob of yellow impacted the side of Raven's face as she was focused on the flour. Caught off guard, the pale girl jumped away, knocking the flour aside and causing a powdery cloud to fly out and hit Robin, who had figured that being a bystander wouldn't hurt.

Another splash of yoke made its new home on Cyborg's chest while the biggest splatter of all was now dripping down Starfire's face. The alien blinked, sunshine colored goo dangling from her eyelashes and her nose. She pulled her hands - now sticky with yoke and eggshell bits - apart and glanced down in the bowl. A small bit of egg had made it inside. She smiled in triumphant.

"I am victorious! Cyborg, I did not realize how messy your cooking was. How come I have never noticed you splattered with egg before?"

Robin wiped flour from off his mask and spat a bit from his mouth. He started to laugh, but then had to cough due to a bit of inhaling of the cooking ingredient. He shook his head and felt his stomach begin to ache as he burst in amusement. His masked eyes grazed his teammates. Cyborg just appeared startled and was picking up a towel to clean himself. Starfire seemed overjoyed that she had learned how to break some eggs. Raven... Raven was pulling her fingers away from her hair, watching a string of yoke dangle from her fingers like slime. She was grimacing and glanced over at Robin with a frown, unsure how he could find this so funny.

Robin smirked, reaching for the flour bag. "Hold on, Raven, you missed a little."

"What?" she questioned, seeming uninterested.

"Yeah," Robin said, gathering a bit of flour in his hand. "Right here!"

He used the hand covered in flour to "point" to the spot Raven missed. She stepped back in surprise as she was hit with his ammunition, but then frustrated that he had tricked her so. Telekinetically grabbing an egg, she managed to collide it with the top of Robin's head.

Starfire, now becoming confused, stepped forward to ask what part of the recipe this was. Robin, who was attempting to get back at Raven with the sugar, ended up splattering Starfire with it instead. He and Raven both paused, mouths open just partly as they watched Starfire's reaction. Her face, which had been covered with yoke, now had a layer of sugar sticking to it on top. She looked almost like she was sparkling with the white sugar crystals stuck to her face. She took a finger and wiped some off before tasting it. Raven, Robin, and Cyborg all grimaced with disgust, but the taste didn't seem to phase Starfire and she beamed once more.

"Starfire, you can't possibly think this is part of the cooking process," Robin tried.

Starfire turned to him, cocking her head lightly. "I know it's not, Robin."

"You do?"

"Of course. You need some vanilla in this mixture."

Taking the bottle of vanilla extract, Starfire popped the top and then released its contents on Robin, who couldn't believe he was being ganged up on. He pretended that the liquid was a fatal wound and he crashed to the ground. "Not the vanilla extract! You've discovered my weakness!"

"GUYS," Cyborg boomed, his face contorted in rage, seeming angry that his three friends had ruined his cooking lessons. "Y'ALL FORGOT THE MILK."

Raven and Starfire were his targets. Soon, both were drenched, but the battle wasn't over. More eggs flew, the butter sticks were used as swords (Robin and Cyborg had quite the duel), baking powder and flour turned everyone white until they seemed like walking snowmen. By the time most of the ammo was used, not one inch of the four teenagers was spared of some sort of ingredient.

Cyborg was sitting on the floor of the kitchen laughing. Robin was crouched up on the counter, trying not to sit to avoid the strange puddle of... whatever it was... beneath him. Starfire had slipped and fallen on her back and Raven stood off to the side, trying to wring milk and vanilla out of her cape. Each of them wore a smile, even Raven. It was in that moment that Robin realized he didn't need to worry. She was still shaky, but she was still Raven. She was tough and would pull through it. They didn't need to treat her special, they just needed to be themselves. It was a moment like this, a time of fun and companionship, that he could see she would be all right.

The doors to the room opened and in came Beast Boy. He was carrying a new video game his hands, bouncing on his toes eagerly. When he saw his friends and the mess of the kitchen, he paused, his face dawning a look of puzzlement. He dropped the video game at his feet and scratched his head, blinking his dark green eyes. "What'd I miss?"

Cyborg chuckled, pulling himself to his feet, careful not to fall back down in the chaos of broken eggshells and sugar piles. "Just some cooking lessons."

* * *

><p>Ohmygosh...<p>

These one-shots are so dumb and cheesy but I just have too much fun writing them xD

I'm sorry... they suck, I know.

But... just try to smile and laugh, okay?

Have a wonderful day (or night!) x)

Love,

Deyoxis


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